What was supposed to be an information session about breast cancer awareness turned into an opportunity to bash Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner after women’s health advocates accused him of ignoring cuts to screening programs caused by the budget impasse.

Before Rauner even began taking questions in his latest Facebook Live chat Wednesday, critics announced they would have a dueling online event to highlight the damage they say has been caused by a lack of state funding. They even took issue with the way Rauner solicited inquiries, which featured a photo of his dog Stella wearing a pink ribbon and declaring, “Stella is doing her part to raise awareness and we are, too.”

“Frankly, I find that insulting. Illinois women need access to lifesaving screening services, not photographs of family pets,” said Beulah Brent, board president of Sisters Working It Out, a Chicago-based group focused on outreach in African-American communities where breast cancer mortality rates are high.

The exchange underscores the tricky political position Rauner finds himself in as the state enters a 17th month without a complete budget. While neither the GOP governor nor Democrats who control the General Assembly have budged enough to reach an agreement, Rauner has taken the brunt of the blame from social service groups that rely on tax dollars.

OK, wait. Stella is a fine dog and she’s Oscar’s friend. Let’s not bash her. And I really don’t see a problem with using her to advertise what was supposed to be an uncontroversial Facebook event. It was a decent bit of spin, though.

Anyway, what the governor just doesn’t seem to always comprehend is that while he might personally support the fight against breast cancer (or whatever other causes he contributes money to), he’s also the governor and that means he takes the heat for the cuts to those programs. And I’ll bet he gave far more money to campaigns the past few years than he gave to charity - which clearly demonstrates that he believes that government is, indeed, at the center of all this.

“To do that, we need reforms to grow our economy because we can’t have government spending … growing way faster than the pace of growth for our economy,” he said. “It’s unsustainable.” […]

The Metropolitan Chicago Breast Cancer Task Force also took to Facebook on Wednesday with a video response to the governor’s event.

“While it’s important for us to … balance the budget, it’s important for us to do reform, all of these things, a balanced budget should not come at the cost of a woman’s life,” said Teena Francois-Blue, associate director of community initiatives and research for the task force.

In 2014, the deficit was falling.

What changed? A partially expired income tax hike and no real state budget.

Yes, there would still be problems if the Democrats hadn’t allowed the tax hike to expire. The economy was growing in 2014, but we obviously needed (and still need) far more growth to sustain spending. The tax hike didn’t totally solve the state’s fiscal problems, but it did make those problems far more manageable. Today’s problems are far less manageable without that revenue and without a real budget.

“Anyway, what the governor just doesn’t seem to always comprehend is that while he might personally support the fight against breast cancer (or whatever other causes he contributes money to), he’s also the governor and that means he takes the heat for the cuts to those programs”

As one of our favorite posters on the Cap Fax Blog would say, Governors Own.

“Rauner has taken the brunt of the blame from social service groups that rely on tax dollars.”
Duh …wonder how that happened Vinny it might have had somethin’ to do with wantin’ all the
1%er stuff before you would talk budget

Blah, blah, blah, harrumph, harrumph. Two years later, still not even attempting to give an economic growth projection for his “reforms.” It’s like a cult — facts or reason not necessary, when the cult leader makes an assertion.

In reality, he’s using pretend-economics to fool some of the people, all of the time, that he’s not sabotaging core state responsibilities in pursuit of a strictly political agenda.

Curiously, the budget is a factor when cutting $10 million to $15 million a year in life-saving cancer screenings, but not when it comes to awarding millions in bonuses and hundreds of millions to Fortune 500 corporations in tax credits.

Perhaps the governor could be asked, pretty please, by someone in the press as to how he landed on those priorities.

I have never heard it framed that way that the state government spending cannot grow faster than out economy because that is unsustainable.

A growing economy will provide increasing tax revenues even if the tax rate stays the same. We all know the rates are going up, but what are the economic development plans from the Democrats to help grow our private sector economy?

If Rauner is determined to go around Madigan and the rest of the GA because Rauner is the CEO of Illinois, then Rauner needs to prove that Intersect Illinois and all the rest of the Executive Orders he has issued for economic development are working. Where are his numbers and plans???

LP: the Guv specifically mentioned redistricting and W/c costs as necessary to grown the economy. Can you explain with real numbers how those will improve the economy enough so the government can afford to fund cancer screenings (and the hundreds of other services that have not been funded)?

The Guv has had 2 years to explain and convince the state that his plan is the path to take. He hasn’t been successful yet. How will he succeed? (So the state can move forward)

For all of you naysayers who don’t think we need any reforms to grow Illinois just watch Greg Baise’s City Club speech and tell me where he has it wrong.

Illinois is chasing away high wage manufacturing jobs (over 70K a year) and now raising the minimum wage in Cook County to $13 an hour which is not competitive with neighboring counties or states

Rauner is not insisting on all of the items on his Turnaround Agenda- he would settle for 2 or 3.

Do you really believe business will expand here with out some reforms? Property Tax, Workers Comp, term limits, redistricting are all popular with bipartisan majorities, but not with Democrat special interest groups.

The middle class would benefit from more business expansion in Illinois

Stop it already. Nobody has ever said that. Not supporting the Governor’s “reforms” does not translate into not supporting reforms.

And, oh wise one, how does term limits or redistricting relate at all to the budget? They don’t.

You, like the Governor, don’t seem to grasp the concept of getting done what is politically feasible to get done. Instead of working towards something you prefer to huff and puff and stomp your feet and complain. Rauner has been Governor for two years. No, he did not create all of our problems, but he most certainly shares the responsibility for the budget mess we find ourselves in now. He’s accomplished nothing because he prefers to complain about not getting his way rather than actually working on something that might be accomplished.

So whine and complain all you want. But, you aren’t accomplishing anything by doing so. What was that refrain? Do the doable. Neither you nor the Governor have figured that out yet.

LP, I’m familiar with your little band of Strawmen and unsupported buzz words. But you forgot, again, to make your economics argument with crazy things like data and assumptions that can be put to the test, like real economists do.

And I think businesses usually expand when they are able to sell more goods and services in the marketplace, not due to some Marxist theories on central government control of “the economy.”

You also forgot to tell us how cancer screenings don’t rate without things like term limits, but corporate tax credits and employee bonuses do.

It is not a knock on Stella. It is a criticism of the Governor saying that his dog is “doing her part to raise awareness, and we are doing ours.” Tying a ribbon on a dog’s neck does nothing to help women who don’t have access to screening and early treatment.

On this topic, based on the chart from yesterday, I would say Rauner. In fact, as had been posted many, many times before, he chooses this (social service wedges) as a leverage tool. Oh, and there’s that pesky Constitutional duty Rauner has yet to fulfill…

==your lack of concern for all unemployed or underemployed Illinois residents==

And you really need to stop with this sort of stuff. Again, not agreeing with the Governor’s reforms doesn’t mean we don’t think there needs to be reform. You’re absolutist view of the world is just plain silly.

Senaator Cullerton after he could not reach an agreement on the budget with the leader of the Democratic Party Speaker Madigan proposed the stop gap to hold us over until after the election. That was a real profile in courage.

Your logic requires Rauner to reach a budget agreement with the Democrats who can’t agree among themselves.

How do you think that is possible? Agree with Cullerton to the exclusion of Madigan or vice versa? Still don’t get why everyone blames Rauner exclusively for the impasse. That seems willfully ignorant.

==the leader of the Democratic Party Speaker Madigan proposed the stop gap==

The Governor also pushed the stop-gap “solution” at the end and signed it.

==Your logic requires Rauner to reach a budget agreement==

Our logic requires the Governor to stop demanding things he’s never going to get and work on something he can get. He can get a budget agreement. He just refuses to talk about it unless he gets his “reforms.” Want to know what I consider a reform? Passing a budget. Let’s start with that.

“In Illinois there’s been a long-time history of what I would call social service, social justice, a bigger role for government in the safety net than in many other states,” Rauner said at a tax policy conference sponsored by the George W. Bush Institute. “I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic and bring the folks who say, ‘You know what? For our tax dollars, I’d rather help the disadvantaged, the handicapped, the elderly, the children in poverty. I’d rather have my tax dollars going to that than the SEIU or Af-scammy, who are out there for their own interests.’”

@LP I think it’s easy to blame the Governor more is expected out of that office than of the GA. It’s the only only position that’s accountable to everyone. I do support Rauner efforts to fix our state, though this has broken down to a proxy war between other races.
And as to how term limits and redistricting affect the budget, they don’t directly. However, those reforms might inspire some more confidence in our government, which can lead to more support for increased revenue. I think there is a concern that taxes will go up and there will be no long term changes to spending or our economic climate.

Oh, and by the way, some things have been proposed and passed. He wanted property taxes frozen. They gave that to him. But, because it didn’t include the ability to throw unions to the side he said no. He’s not going to get that. So instead of getting something he’d rather get nothing and continue to argue for something he is NEVER going to get.

You get what you can get and move on to the next battle. You and he need to learn that concept.

Rauner’ s and the other Republican contributors are spending their money to tilt the balance of power away from Super Majority Democrat so there can be more compromise and moderation. Democrats used to have the field to themselves and it is more equal.

And what are the Democrats spending their millions on OW?

The interests of trial lawyers and government unions.

How exactly are they helping the middle class worker who works in manufacturing or any number of businesses in Illinois?

I agree OW That Democrats are all in for organized union labor which in 2015 was 15% of Illinois workers or just about 850,000 people. Nationally union membership is just less that 15 million workers so Illinois is one of their last strongholds.

My point is that Democrats are not doing enough to help the other 85 percent of workerst because they are resisting doing anything would offend trial lawyers and help the business community

Lucky - to paraphrase, by every measure the state is worse since rauner became gov.

To answer you. BIlls got paid. hasn’t the backlog about doubled? Was the backlog getting caught up before him? Thats just the bills currently in line. HOw many contracts has his people sign that will nees to just get in line?

While not perfect those years of dem control was better than 2 of rauner. Thats not counting how much damage will occur when employees are forced on strike.